As horses age, their nutritional needs change significantly, necessitating careful adjustments in diet and management to maintain their health and quality of life. Older horses, often categorized as seniors around the age of 20, may face a variety of age-related challenges, including decreased digestive efficiency, dental issues, and metabolic disorders, all of which require tailored nutritional strategies.

Challenges and Considerations for Senior Horses

One of the primary challenges in feeding older horses is their reduced ability to digest and absorb nutrients. As horses age, their digestive systems become less efficient at processing essential nutrients like proteins, vitamins, and minerals. This decline can lead to conditions such as muscle loss, weight loss, and decreased immunity, making it crucial to adjust their diets to meet these changing needs.

Dental health is another significant concern. Many senior horses experience dental issues, such as worn or missing teeth, which can impede their ability to chew and digest forage effectively. For these horses, switching to a senior complete feed—formulated to be highly digestible and to meet all of the horse’s nutritional needs—can be beneficial. These feeds are designed to replace forage entirely when necessary, ensuring that even horses with severe dental problems can still receive a balanced diet.

Management Strategies

In addition to dietary changes, proper management practices are essential for the well-being of senior horses. Regular veterinary check-ups are critical to monitor their health and detect any early signs of age-related diseases. Common conditions like Cushing’s disease and metabolic syndrome can have a significant impact on a horse’s nutritional requirements. For example, horses with metabolic disorders may need a diet low in sugars and starches to prevent spikes in blood glucose and insulin levels.

Moreover, older horses often require adjustments in their living conditions to reduce stress. As they age, horses may become more sensitive to changes in their environment, such as temperature fluctuations or alterations in their social groups. Ensuring a stable, comfortable environment with gradual changes can help mitigate stress and maintain their overall health.

Feeding Recommendations

When designing a diet for an older horse, it’s important to consider factors such as body weight, activity level, and specific health conditions. Senior horses typically require a diet rich in easily digestible fiber, with added fats and proteins to compensate for their decreased digestive efficiency. Probiotics and prebiotics can also play a role in supporting gut health and improving nutrient absorption.

It’s essential to avoid feeding dusty or moldy hay, as older horses are more susceptible to respiratory issues and gastrointestinal problems. Soaking hay before feeding can help reduce dust and make it easier to chew for horses with dental issues. Additionally, complete feeds that incorporate all necessary nutrients can be an excellent option for horses that can no longer consume enough forage.

Caring for an older horse requires a holistic approach that combines tailored nutrition, careful management, and regular veterinary care. By understanding and addressing the unique needs of senior horses, owners can help their equine companions age gracefully and maintain a good quality of life. Every horse is an individual, so working closely with a veterinarian or equine nutritionist to develop a personalized care plan is essential for ensuring their long-term health.

For more detailed information on managing the nutritional needs of older horses, you can refer to resources such as OSU Extension, The Horse, Florida IFAS, and The Open Sanctuary Project​.

This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.

By Janis Blackwell

As the season arrives to gear up for participation in your equine event of choice, one thing remains a constant for all horse owners. That constant is our responsibility to insure the safety of our horses by being diligent to maintain the integrity of the trailers in which we haul them. There are a number of things that can be dangerous both inside and outside of your trailer. Whether you traveled all winter long or whether your trailer sat unused or was used very little through the cold weather months, at least once a year your trailer is due a thorough going over. So here we go with a checklist that will help you insure a happy and safe trip for you and your equine partner.

1. A sound floor is absolutely imperative. Whether your floor is aluminum, steel or wood, it should be cleaned regularly after use to preserve it. Urine and manure will erode and weaken all types of floors. Even rubber mats will not prevent erosion of your floor. (Maintenance tip: remove mats and wash aluminum floors often to prevent erosion.)
2. Especially check wooden floors for rotten boards. Immediately replace questionable flooring before hauling. (Maintenance tip: For wood, remove mats and wash out manure and debris. Coat wooden floor in a cheap motor oil. Allow to sit in hot summer weather until the oil soaks in. Be careful—floor will be slippery until oil cures into the wood. This treatment yearly will preserve a wooden floor for much longer than normal as it repels urine and protects the wood).

1. Keep the interior and exterior washed to enable you to check for rusted out places, leaks, etc.
2. Have a professional check your brakes at least once yearly to be sure they are operating properly.
3. Be sure tires are inflated to the proper air pressure, and check the inside of each tire for hidden unusual wear that could cause a blowout. Replace worn tires before leaving home.
4. Wheel bearings must be checked and packed at least once a year. This should be done even if the trailer has been rarely used since the last time the wheel bearings were packed. In fact, trailer maintenance professionals say that sitting stationary and unused is even worse for the bearings.  Improper care and maintenance of wheel bearings can cause a wheel to seize up and actually twist off while in use. Use a horse trailer professional for this maintenance task.
5. Axles should be checked for bowing. A bent or bowed axle can cause excessive tire wear and damage wheel bearings.
6. There should be no more than two inches in height difference from the front of the trailer to the back. More difference than that causes the bulk of weight of the trailer and its contents to ride mostly on the rear axle causing it to bow and wear on both tires and wheel bearings.
7. Another critical part of the trailer to keep an eye on are the butt chain or bar and the back door. The butt chain or bar should be firmly attached to the wall and its keeper and should always be latched. The door should have a strong secure latch with a pin to insure it stays latched while in motion.
8. Finally, but certainly not of least importance is a thorough check of the trailer hitch including ball and coupling. Keep the ball well greased. Periodically, check to see that the ball is still securely tightened and the latch on the coupling is working properly.

These few critical safety check points can save you money, stress and the wellbeing of your horse. Until next time, happy trails and safe traveling.

This article was originally published in the April 2016 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch. 

By Laci Jones

With the saying, “Don’t reinvent the wheel,” Lee Liles, owner of the National Museum of Horse Shoeing Tools and Hall of Honor said the same could be said about the horseshoe.

“Nothing is really new in a horseshoe,” he explained. “It just seems to be a revolving circle.”

While the horseshoe has not changed, Liles said the title of the horseshoe specialist has. At some point over time, the horseshoer took on the name “farrier,” he added.

Certification

Horseshoers in the late 19^th century needed to have a certificate issued by the Master Horseshoers National Protective Association. Liles said the association was like a union. If someone was caught without being a licensed member, they could be fined $400.

The color of the certificates wa­­­­­s different each year, making the certificates easy to identify when entering the blacksmith’s shop.

Other countries like Canada and Germany also required certification. Horseshoers in London in 1909 needed to carry a certificate with them at all times. The certificate was signed by the queen, Liles explained.

Mid-Century Trends

In the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, all horses had heel caulks on their horseshoes.

“I can remember back in the 1960s we had a shoe we called ‘The Cowboy Shoe,’” he added. The Cowboy Shoe was beveled out on the inside to help shed dirt. Liles said a good cow pony on rough terrain requires a tougher shoe.

“If it weren’t for a horseshoer moving up [in rough country] there would never have been good cattle country,” he said. “He kept the horses sound from being on the rocks.”

He remembered when owners could get away with just trimming their ranch horses in the 1960s. “Getting into the 1970s, you had to put shoes on ranch horses,” Liles added. “Their feet weren’t as strong because the breeding changed their feet a lot.”

The Horse

“The life of a horseshoer is very short,” Liles explained, “especially this day and time more so than the old days.”

To give a time-life-history of the horse, 24 million horses were in the United States in 1915. By 1950, they were down to two million. Farmers began working with tractors and the workhorse phased out, he added. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, horses became luxury items, Liles explained. Owners used horses more on ranches and started horse shows and events.

“In 1965, there was a shortage of horseshoers because most were cavalry horseshoers or taught by somebody who was in the cavalry,” he added. Those horseshoers retired by the 1960s, and there was a need for horseshoeing schools.

Z-Bar Shoe

“Our shoe industry has changed dramatically since 1979,” Liles explained. “We’ve got so may good horseshoes on the market today that you hardly need a forge to heat them up to shape them.”

Liles said the industry now has front and rears in the patterns, which has changed horseshoeing. The Z-Bar shoe may have been patented in 1900 in New Orleans, but the shoe has become more popular in recent years. “It’s popular in our horseshoeing contests,” Liles explained.

The Z-Bar shoe is used on horses that have a bad quarter crack, he added. The shoe relieves the pressure and lets the swelling go down, and the bar distributes the weight in the foot. This is the only patent I ever seen south of the Mason-Dixon Line,” he added.

Current Trends

“Just in the last few years, we’re seeing horseshoes with multiple nail holes,” Liles added. “That is more than we’ve ever had.”

For 200 years in the United States, horseshoes have always had eight nail holes in the shoe. Now, 10 to 16 nail holes are in a shoe. “That’s a dramatic change,” Liles explained. “It gives [farriers] more of an option to where they can rotate the nails around if the foot gets bad, so it’s not a bad deal.”

Shoeing horses on the front end and not the back end is trending in the show horse industry, he explained. When asked why this is trending, Liles said one person started winning, and everybody started thinking it would help them win.

“It’s not always necessary to shoe the back end of a horse,” he said. “Most of the weight on a horse is carried from the front end with the weight of the horse’s neck and the cowboy.”

Marvin Beeman, DVM and educator for the American Colt Horse Association, told Liles how a horse farrier shoes a ranch horse depends on the biographical areas in which they live in.

“If you change your horse from one environment to another environment, it will actually change the growth pattern of the horse’s foot and start a groove around his foot,” Liles explained. “When you change that horse’s environment, the horseshoer can actually read it in his foot.

“That’s hard for a lot of people to imagine, but when you bring a horse from the east coast to the west coast, that’s a dramatic change for that horse.”

Different Materials

Liles said using different materials is a current trend among horse farriers. In the early days of horseshoeing, farriers used wrought iron. Today, most horseshoes are made using plain steel. However, the show horse industry uses a lot of aluminum and titanium.

“A pair of heavy walking horse shoes can cost $5,000,” Liles explained, “but it’s made out of tungsten.”

Plastic and rubber shoes have also become popular in recent years. Amish horses used on roads have horseshoes made of Borium. Borium is a texture that keeps the shoe from wearing out, but it can also have a negative impact on the road.

“If you drive around in Amish or Mennonite country and see a dip in the road, it’s from a horse going down the road,” Liles explained. “A lot of states like Pennsylvania and Ohio have funded projects trying to come up with a traction device horseshoe that will not hurt their asphalt and highways as bad.”

Glue-on shoes have come along after he was an active horse farrier. The dairy industry uses the glue-on shoes more than anybody, he added. Cattle are on water and concrete, and they can have a tremendous problem with foot rot. Liles said proper nutrition can help combat this disease.

“I’ve never seen many horse’s feet that I couldn’t nail a shoe on,” Liles said, “but, I see where they help a lot of horses today.”

To learn more about the history of the horseshoe, visit www.horseshoeingmuseum.com.

This article was originally posted in the August 2016 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.